"We definitely don't have enough helicopters," said Lord Malloch-Brown, the Foreign Office minister, in a parting shot before he leaves the government at the end of the week (although he later backtracked).

So what's new? For years, British generals in London and British commanders in Afghanistan have been calling for more helicopters, just as they have been saying Land Rovers are not robust enough to withstand the impact of roadside bombs, and that Nato is not deploying enough troops there.

The wonder is not that Sir Richard Dannatt, head of the army, and Sir Jock Stirrup, chief of the defence staff, are now openly calling for more resources, but that they have not done so before.

Ever since Britain deployed thousands of troops in Helmand province in 2006 in a so-called peacekeeping mission, they have been frustrated by a mixture of wishful thinking and penny-pinching. Helicopters are hitting the headlines now because more British soldiers are being killed.

Gordon Brown says Afghanistan is the vital front line against terrorism. The message is that British soldiers are dying in the defence of Britain's national security. Ministers have admitted privately their concern that if they said soldiers were dying to give the Afghans a better life, it would not cut much ice with public opinion (and anyway, there is no evidence that it is the case).

The government is not prepared to back up its rhetoric about front lines and terrorism with practical support. Brown said more helicopters would not have saved the lives of those who were killed last week. He was correct in that five soldiers were blown up while on foot patrol – part of the "hearts and minds" mission being carried out with Afghan troops. He was at it again during his Downing Street press conference today – referring only to the current operation, Panther's Claw, and the deaths last week. But the fact remains, as commanders repeatedly point out, more helicopters would provide British troops with greater maneuverability, give them more options, and avoid moving by road, and therefore avoid roadside bombs.

Alistair Darling, the chancellor, is equally disingenuous. "You've got to listen to what the chiefs of staff tell us," he said without a hint of a smile. He suggests in an interview with Tribune magazine that he had given everything the army had asked for. Yet, his officials had just been insisting that the MoD must now pay for urgent equipment needed for Afghanistan orders previously paid for by the Treasury's contingency reserve.

It is time for more honesty and straight talking. In a few days' time, Gen Sir David Richards, will take over from Dannatt.

He is unlikely to give ministers an easier time than Dannatt has of late. He was at the forefront of those asking for more helicopters when he commanded Nato forces in Afghanistan back in 2006.